Parking deck



July 30, 1.935.

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A. BRETT PARKING DECK Filed Jan. 4, 1932 IIIIIIIIIVIIIHIIIIIIlllll uuml WHW standard structural forms.

Patented .ully

vUNI'I'IID STATES PATENT x OFFICE D.

PARKING DECK Allen Brett, Cleveland, kOhio Application January 4, 1932 Serial No. 584,706

s claims. (c1. 2in- 1.13) i This invention relates to a structure for parking automobiles and has for its object the provision of such a structure as can be constructed almost entirely of prefabricated metal4 shapes and In a certainsense this improved parking deck is a knockedown structure, one of the purposes being to enableV the owner of a vacant lot to increase the available area thereon for the parking of automobiles by means of a comparatively inexpensive structure which can be taken down and erected elsewhere with relatively little labor in case the original lotis desired for building purposes becomes unproftable, or for other reasons. To lthe accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of means hereinafter fully described and particularlyfpointed out in the claims. `The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain structure embodying the invention, such disclosedA means constituting, however, but one of various structural forms in which the principle of the invention may b e used.

In said annexed drawing: l

Fig. 1 isa plan view-and Fig. 2 a side eleva'- tion of a preferred form of parking deck structure embodying the principles of this invention, Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are respectively enlarged sectional views on the lines 3 3, 4 4, 5 5 and 6 6 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Figs. 3 and 4 are edge details, Fig. 5 is a joint detail and Fig. 6 is a ramp detail.

Referring now particularly vto Figs. 1 and 2, my parking deck comprises a platform generally indicated by the reference character I supported by a suitable number of posts such as 2 at a height suflicient to afford ample head room under the platform for automobiles, this platform being approached by a ramp 3. The platform is preferably built up of I-beam framing comprising side girders such as 4 and cross members such as 5. This framing in turn supportsV a deck construction of inverted channel members 6, of

special form. These members do not in them-A selves constitute a part of my invention but form convenient components -for use in building my structure. Others of suitable characteristics might be employed.

These channels, as best seen in Fig. 3, comprise what may be termed an inverted trough with an upwardly convex top I I, vertical sidesV I2 and inturned edge flanges I3. They are laid transversely of the girder 5 and bolted thereto, as shown, with the anges I3 resting on the top flanges of the girders, the vertical sides'also'being bolted to each other. A'smooth thin paving I4 of asphalt or like material is laid'over them.

At the side edges ofthe deck., these channels are discontinued leaving a space 20 .whichis parte' "3 ticularly useful for the' purpose7 of convenient Vaccess to the joints when lassembling and'diss- Ytheend guard rails. 'Drain 4channels 32 are left under the side guard rails.y None are needed'at the 'end guard rails because these only touch the tops of the licor channels 6. If desired,a gutter such as 33 maybe used Von the outside edge' of the platform. 'The' guard rails `3|) and 3l form a boundary for ,the `paving I4. These railsareof suiiicient'height to prevent carsfrom climbing 'them when moving slowly. The deck is also surf- 25 vrounded by aj hand rail 34 but it will vbe lnoted that the guard rails 30, 3l, rather than the hand rail 34, is intended to prevent cars from running off the deck. The hand rail is bolted to the top v anges of the beamsvll and 2l, respectively, and 30 is braced at the guard rail 30, 3I at intervals as by the rods 35. As a further safeguard, a wire netting 36 may be stretched on the braces 35 at the sides, thus preventing any danger of persons stumbling on the guard rail 30, 3| and falling through the opening 20. No such netting is needed at the ends, since the channels 6 extend entirely out to the end of the structure, as shown in Fig. 4. l

A convenient means of quick access to the upper deck is given by a circular staircase 38 in the corner nearest the lower end of the ramp and attendants can come down quickly from the deck by a sliding pole 39, of the type familiarly used in fire department quarters, along side the staircase 38.

Access to the deck is by means of the inclined ramp 3 which is of the same construction as the deck I, that is to say, built of side stringers 40 across which a flooring of inverted'channels 6 is laid, as shown in detail in Fig. 6. The guard rail and hand rail construction is conveniently the same as that in Fig. 4. In order to prevent excessive flow of water down the ramp in rainy weather transverse gratings 4| are provided, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. Gutters 42 of appropriate shape carry olf the drainage from these.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that my parking deck can be erected at a very reasonable cost, for the most part by unskilled labor. Since practically all the assembling is by field bolting, the difficulties of building, dismantling, and re-building are slight. Practically the only material that is wasted in tearing. down the deckV and transferring it to a new locationis'the paving I4. It will also be noted that the posts 2 offer very little obstruction to the original parking lot, so that the capacity of the lot is almost doubled by the deck, f

This deck also alfords shelter to the carsgparked Y 'tions being limited to the part of the ramp which on the ground, and the deck itself is almost as easy of access as the ground level of a lot, y

Under special conditions more than one deck might be erected above a lot, but the particular advantage of the structure is .that Where .the

owner of propertydoes not contemplate the use of hislot for parking for morethan a few'months or al year or so and where changing real estate developments after that may make it advisable to puta building 'on the lot and move the deck steel. forms 'eldbolted, fa; framework comprisingV longitudinal supports Vand transverse supports lcarried thereby, Alongitudinal flooring members .restingon said transversel supports, a sideY edge formed by securing the edge flooring member in`- nward of the side longitudinal supporting member, ia. guard rail curbing bolted along the top of the uedge of said Vfloor member, a'hand rail bolted to 5 Vthetc'p of said'longitudinal side member,` a plurality ,of diagonal brace rods'from said guard rail -tlsaid hand railand anetting stretched over said rods between said guard rail and said hand rail.

2. In an outdoor parking lot, a deck above the ground level, a ramp leading to said deck, said ramp being water-tight down to a point where car head room no longer exists beneath the ramp, a transverse grating section across said ramp at said point, and a gutter beneath such section,

3. In an outdoor parking lot, a deck above the ground leve1,a ramp leadingfto said deck, said ramp being constructed of side stringers and a transverse iloor, the floor beingA made of shallow inverted channels transversely secured to said stringers mutually edge to edge, certain of said channels being reticulated, said reticulated poris too low for cars to be stored thereunder.

4. In a knock-down parking deck built up of structuralsteel forms field bolted, a framework comprising longitudinal supports and transverse supports carried thereby, flooring carried by said transverse Supports, and a gutter along the outside of the flooring and below the surface thereof but inboardV ofthe longitudinal supports.

`5. In a'parking. deck a framework, ilooring surface supportedY by and above said framework, said flooring surface terminating short of the sides of the framework, a flooring edge construction'comprising a relatively heavy curb of approximately half a wheel `height above said surface, said curb being inset from the edge of the structure', and drainage means for the ilooring surfacesaid V drainage means including a vgutter along the flooring edge but below the floor surface andvwithin the limits of the framework,

clearance spaces being provided between said curb and' the oor surface.

6. In a vknock-down parking deck built up of structural' steel forms field bolted, a framework comprising longitudinal supportsv and transverse supports carried thereby, ilo'oring carried by said transverse supports butv stopping short of said longitudinal supports, and guard means protecting the space from the edge of the flooring to the longitudinal supports.

I ALLEN BRE'I'I. 

